Percent Increase In Number Research Articles

EXPLORING THE IMPACT OF SOIL AMENDMENTS ON FOOD SAFETY AND CROP PRODUCTIVITY FOR SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE

Aflatoxins impact the entire food supply chain, from agricultural fields to processing facilities, markets, and consumer tables. In peanut cultivation, this threat poses a constant challenge throughout the cultivation, processing, and consumption stages. To confront this challenge, an exhaustive study was undertaken with the aim of investigating the effects of targeted soil amendments; namely, Vermicompost, Lentil crop residue, and Sulphate of Potash applied during the pivotal sowing phase at two distinct locations, Chakwal and Attock. The research includes meticulous groundnut sample analysis to quantify aflatoxin levels, revealing a significant reduction across all soil amendments compared to the control group. Vermicompost stands out as the most effective, achieving a remarkable 64.8% reduction, followed closely by Sulphate of Potash at 62.4%. Statistical analysis highlights non-significant differences among amendments. Beyond aflatoxin mitigation, the study underscores the dual benefit of these soil amendments, contributing not only to mycotoxin control but also enhancing overall crop productivity. Percent increase in number of grains per plant ranged between 58.82% to 43.53% whereas in hundred grain weight it ranged between 17.10% and 10.55%. In summary, the study emphasizes the importance of strategic soil amendments, particularly Vermicompost and Sulphate of Potash, in mitigating aflatoxin contamination in peanuts. The dual benefit of improved crop productivity adds significance to the findings, offering a holistic approach to address the multifaceted dimensions of aflatoxin challenges in peanut cultivation.

Factors associated with Clinical Nursing and Midwifery Research Topics Published in Southern and Eastern African Countries

While clinical nursing research priorities should be determined regional experts, evidence suggests that they may be guided more by the needs of research funders. However, we could not find any studies to assess what drives the research produced by nurses and midwives in southern and eastern African countries. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess factors associated with clinical nursing and midwifery research found in both indexed and grey literature within this region. This is a cross-sectional descriptive study using Poisson and categorical regression to determine predictors of clinical research within the region. Information about country, date, level of education of the first author, author affiliations, collected through scoping reviews of the grey and indexed literature was used as was information from a Delphi survey (that identified regional clinical nursing and midwifery research priorities) to assess factors associated with clinical nursing and midwifery research in southern and eastern African countries from 2004 to 2014. Topics with a critical priority ranking from the Delphi survey were associated with appearing fewer times in the literature, compared to those topics that were not ranked as a priority (IRR of .39, 95% CI [.20, .77]). Percent increase in number of publications was a 19.1% for every one additional first author with an international affiliation (IRR 1.19, 95% CI [1.15, 1.23]). The odds of appearing in grey literature to indexed literature were 492% higher for publications by first authors with a doctorate compared to those with a bachelor's degree or less (OR 4.92, 95% CI [1.93, 12.49]). The odds of appearing in the grey literature compared to indexed literature was 83.8% lower for those topics with major funding compared to unfunded topics (OR .16, 95% 95% CI [.04, .67]). Percent relative growth in publication output from 2004 to 2013 was 115%. Clinical nursing and midwifery research in southern and eastern African countries may not be driven by regional needs. Aligning research with local priorities will ensure that nurses and midwives have the evidence base needed to improve patient outcomes.

Estimating Firms' Demand for Agglomeration

The market for commercial properties is characterised by extreme heterogeneity in demand. In this paper, we aim to gain more insight in the heterogeneity in demand for employment agglomeration and size of the rental property using a two-stage hedonic approach following Bajari and Benkard (2005). We use unique micro-data of properties’ attributes as well as of firm characteristics. Given assumptions on the functional form of the production function, we identify firm-specific parameters using a nonparametric control function approach that corrects for endogeneity. The results show that agglomeration benefits are capitalised in rents: a one standard deviation increase in agglomeration leads to an increase in the annual rents of about 6 percent. It is found that larger and business services firms are willing to pay (substantially) more for agglomeration. Furthermore, for office buildings a 10 percent increase in number of employees increases the marginal willingness to pay for floor space with 8 percent, which suggests that internal returns to scale are present.

The Importance of Species Name Synonyms in Literature Searches.

The synonyms of biological species names are shown to be an important component in comprehensive searches of electronic scientific literature databases but they are not well leveraged within the major literature databases examined. For accepted or valid species names in the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) which have synonyms in the system, and which are found in citations within PLoS, PMC, PubMed or Scopus, both the percentage of species for which citations will not be found if synonyms are not used, and the percentage increase in number of citations found by including synonyms are very often substantial. However, there is no correlation between the number of synonyms per species and the magnitude of the effect. Further, the number of citations found does not generally increase proportionally to the number of synonyms available. Users looking for literature on specific species across all of the resources investigated here are often missing large numbers of citations if they are not manually augmenting their searches with synonyms. Of course, missing citations can have serious consequences by effectively hiding critical information. Literature searches should include synonym relationships and a new web service in ITIS, with examples of how to apply it to this issue, was developed as a result of this study, and is here announced, to aide in this.

Idealized climate change simulations with a high‐resolution physical model: HadGEM3‐GC2

AbstractIdealized climate change simulations with a new physical climate model, HadGEM3‐GC2 from The Met Office Hadley Centre are presented and contrasted with the earlier MOHC model, HadGEM2‐ES. The role of atmospheric resolution is also investigated. The Transient Climate Response (TCR) is 1.9 K/2.1 K at N216/N96 and Effective Climate Sensitivity (ECS) is 3.1 K/3.2 K at N216/N96. These are substantially lower than HadGEM2‐ES (TCR: 2.5 K; ECS: 4.6 K) arising from a combination of changes in the size of climate feedbacks. While the change in the net cloud feedback between HadGEM3 and HadGEM2 is relatively small, there is a change in sign of its longwave and a strengthening of its shortwave components. At a global scale, there is little impact of the increase in atmospheric resolution on the future climate change signal and even at a broad regional scale, many features are robust including tropical rainfall changes, however, there are some significant exceptions. For the North Atlantic and western Europe, the tripolar pattern of winter storm changes found in most CMIP5 models is little impacted by resolution but for the most intense storms, there is a larger percentage increase in number at higher resolution than at lower resolution. Arctic sea‐ice sensitivity shows a larger dependence on resolution than on atmospheric physics.

MP37-14 NOW TRENDING: TWITTER USE IN THE UROLOGY COMMUNITY AT THE AMERICAN UROLOGICAL ASSOCIATION ANNUAL SCIENTIFIC MEETING

You have accessJournal of UrologyGeneral & Epidemiological Trends & Socioeconomics: Practice Patterns, Quality of Life and Shared Decision Making IV1 Apr 2016MP37-14 NOW TRENDING: TWITTER USE IN THE UROLOGY COMMUNITY AT THE AMERICAN UROLOGICAL ASSOCIATION ANNUAL SCIENTIFIC MEETING Siobhan Hartigan and Robert Caleb Kovell Siobhan HartiganSiobhan Hartigan More articles by this author and Robert Caleb KovellRobert Caleb Kovell More articles by this author View All Author Informationhttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.juro.2016.02.1691AboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints ShareFacebookTwitterLinked InEmail INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES Over the past several years, social media outlets have become an integral form of communication and news sharing worldwide. Following this trend, most major academic meetings have started publicizing Twitter hashtags encouraging attendees to help publicize interesting points throughout a conference. The goal of this study is to examine trends in Twitter utilization at the American Urologic Association annual scientific meeting. METHODS Twitter metrics were analyzed from the past five annual meetings of the AUA from 2011 to 2015. The officially promoted hashtag by the AUA and the recognized healthcare conference hashtag by Symplur for 2013, 2014, and 2015 were used to collect data for these years. For 2011 and 2012, raw data was collected using the Twitter advanced search. Only tweets posted during the official dates of the conference were analyzed. Moreover, total impressions, a metric for how many impressions a healthcare hashtag has made in users' tweet streams based on how many followers a particular tweeter has, were also collected and analyzed for the years between 2013 and 2015. RESULTS The number of tweets referencing the AUA annual meeting posted during the meeting was 12 in 2011, 93 in 2012, 3990 in 2013, 9938 in 2014, and 13933 in 2015. The percent increase in number of tweets was 35,000% from 2011 to 2013 and an additional 250% from 2013 to 2015. The average number of tweets per hour was 33 in 2013, rising to 116 in 2015. The number of participants posting at least one tweet has increased from 22 in 2012 to 1881 in 2015 (8450% increase). Additionally, the number of total impressions increased from 7,406,585 in 2013 to 23,043,413 in 2015 (211% increase). CONCLUSIONS The number of tweets and participants on Twitter discussing the AUA annual meeting during the conference has increased dramatically over the last five years. The presence and impact of social media at AUA annual meetings can drastically increase the conference’s ability to rapidly disseminate new concepts to tens of millions of people over the course of several days. As a field constantly at the forefront of medical technology, urologists are likely to continue embracing this trend as an excellent resource to reach peers and patients. © 2016FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 195Issue 4SApril 2016Page: e502 Advertisement Copyright & Permissions© 2016MetricsAuthor Information Siobhan Hartigan More articles by this author Robert Caleb Kovell More articles by this author Expand All Advertisement Advertisement PDF downloadLoading ...

Organ Donation and Transplantation in the UK—The Last Decade

Over the decade between 2003 and 2012, the UK has seen major changes in how organ donation and transplantation is delivered. The number of deceased organ donors has increased from 709 (12.0 per million population [pmp]) to 1,164 (18.3 pmp); this increase has been predominantly a result of an increase in donors after circulatory death (DCD) (from 1.1 pmp to 7.9 pmp) while the numbers of donors after brain death (DBD) has remained broadly stable (around 10.5 pmp). The donor population has become older (from 14% 60 years or over to 35%) and heavier (from 14% with body mass index >=30 kg/m2 to 23%). Despite these changes in demographic factors, the number of organs retrieved from DBD donors has risen from a mean of 3.6 to 4.0 per donor and for DCD donors from 2.2 to 2.6. The number of transplants in adults in 2012 was 2,709 (967 DBD, 708 DCD, and 1,034 living) for kidney alone, 246 pancreas (including 172 kidney and pancreas), 792 (611 DBD, 142 DCD, 36 living, and 3 domino) for liver, 136 for heart only, and 179 (145 DBD and 34 DCD) for lung only. Median waiting times to transplant for adult patients were 1,167, 339, 141, 293, and 311 days, respectively. The proportion of adult non-urgent registrants in 2009 (2007 for kidneys) who were removed from the waiting list or died awaiting a graft within 1 year was 3% for kidneys, 6% for pancreas, 19% for liver, 27% for heart, and 24% for lung. Outcomes after solid organ transplants are improving; for adult patients grafted between 2003 and 2005, 5-year graft survival for kidney is 84% (DBD), 87% (DCD), and 92% (living donor), for simultaneous kidney and pancreas 72%, and for pancreas alone 50% (DBD). Five-year patient survival for liver is 77% (DBD) and 68% (DCD), heart 67%, and lung 52% (DBD). Although rates of organ donation and transplantation have increased in the UK, this has been almost solely because of a rise in DCD donation. Although donor age and weight is increasing, graft survival has generally improved. Despite a recent fall in the number of patients on the transplant waiting list, there remains a significant gap between the need for transplantation and the number of organs available from deceased and living donors. The implementation of a new strategy following the recommendations of the Organ Donation Task Force in 2008 has had a major impact in bringing together clinicians involved in both organ donation and transplantation, and these changes and clinical enthusiasm have been instrumental in achieving success. With an emphasis on the need to increase the family consent rate for organ donation, which has failed to show any improvement over the last 5 years, a new UK strategy for organ donation and transplantation, introduced in 2013, will further increase organ transplantation in the UK.

Capitalization and proximity to agricultural and natural lands: Evidence from Delaware

This paper offers an applied study assessing the price impacts of proximity to open space in a residential property market. Data are collected in an urban-influenced region of Delaware, USA, which has experienced rapid population growth--an 85 percent increase in number of households and 92 percent increase in population between Census 1990 and Census 2000--but also maintains substantial agricultural land use. In agreement with previous literature the results show the protection of agricultural and natural lands is capitalized into the value of neighboring properties. Surprisingly however, in this rapidly growing region the open space that is not protected from development offers no distinguishable effect on property values. This is likely because in a rapidly developing region all unprotected land is seen as potentially developable.

Are breast cancer navigation programs cost-effective? Evidence from the Chicago Cancer Navigation Project

One of the aims of the Chicago Cancer Navigation Project (CCNP) is to reduce the interval of time between abnormal breast cancer screening and definitive diagnosis in patients who are navigated as compared to usual care. In this article, we investigate the extent to which total costs of breast cancer navigation can be offset by survival benefits and savings in lifetime breast cancer-attributable costs. Data sources for the cost-effectiveness analysis include data from published literature, secondary data from the NCI's Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) program, and primary data from the CCNP. If women enrolled in CCNP receive breast cancer diagnosis earlier by 6 months as compared to usual care, then navigation is borderline cost-effective for $95,625 per life-year saved. Results from sensitivity analyses suggest that the cost-effectiveness of navigation is sensitive to: the interval of time between screening and diagnosis, percent increase in number of women who receive cancer diagnosis and treatment, women's age, and the positive predictive value of a mammogram. In planning cost-effective navigation programs, special considerations should be made regarding the characteristics of the disease, program participants, and the initial screening test that determines program eligibility.

Amniotic Fluid Cells Are More Efficiently Reprogrammed to Pluripotency Than Adult Cells

Recently, cultured human adult skin cells were reprogrammed to induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, which have characteristics similar to human embryonic stem (hES) cells. Patient-derived iPS cells offer genetic and immunologic advantages for cell and tissue replacement or engineering. The efficiency of generating human iPS cells has been very low; therefore an easily and efficiently reprogrammed cell type is highly desired. Here, we demonstrate that terminally differentiated human amniotic fluid (AF) skin cells provide an accessible source for efficiently generating abundant-induced pluripotent stem (AF-iPS) cells. By induction of pluripotency with the transcription factor quartet (OCT3/4, SOX2, KLF4, and c-MYC) the terminally differentiated, cultured AF skin cells formed iPS colonies approximately twice as fast and yielded nearly a two-hundred percent increase in number, compared to cultured adult skin cells. AF-iPS cells were identical to hES cells for morphological and growth characteristics, antigenic stem cell markers, stem cell gene expression, telomerase activity, in vitro and in vivo differentiation into the three germ layers and for their capacity to form embryoid bodies (EBs) and teratomas. Our findings provide a biological interesting conclusion that these fetal AF cells are more rapidly, easily, and efficiently reprogrammed to pluripotency than neonatal and adult cells. AF-iPS cells may have a "young," more embryonic like epigenetic background, which may facilitate and accelerate pluripotency. The ability to efficiently and rapidly reprogram terminally differentiated AF skin cells and generate induced pluripotent stem cells provides an abundant iPS cell source for various basic studies and a potential for future patient-specific personalized therapies.

Efficiency of NEB-33 fortified fertilizers on growth and yield of pepper (Capsicum fruitscen)

A two year field study was conducted in Institute of Agriculture Reasearch and Training experimental field at Ibadan, Nigeria to evaluate the effects of NEB-33 fertilizer additive on the growth and yield of chilli pepper (Capsium fruitscen). Treatments consisted of control, NPK, poultry manure (PM), organomineral fertilizer (OM), cow dung (CD) and their combinations with NEB-33. The organic fertilizers were applied at the rate of 5 t ha-1, while NPK 15:15:15 was applied at the rate of 90 kg N ha-1 and NEB-33 was applied at the rate of 5.6 kg ha-1.Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) was used for the experiment and was replicated three times. Results show that treatments significantly (P>0.05) improved growth and yield of chilli pepper. Number of leaves, plant height, leaf area, stem girth, number of branches, number of fruits, and fruit yield ranged from 129 - 170, 30.4 – 44.2 cm, 20.7 – 35 cm2, 2.0 -2.7 cm2, 12 – 17, 392 – 682 and 1.01 – 3.08 t ha-1 respectively. Percentage increase in number of leaves, plant height, leaf area ranged from 5.4 – 70%, 17.8 – 48.7% and 3 – 73.4%, respectively, in treated plant over control. In terms of total number of fruit yield, percentage increases were 15, 7 , 13 and 27% respectively in NPK + NEB, CD + NEB, PM + NEB and OM + NEB whereas in case of fruit yield, percentage increases were 17, 9, 8 and 12%, respectively, for NPK + NEB, CD + NEB, PM + NEB and OM + NEB over their sole application. Key words: Efficiency, growth regulators, NEB-33 additive, organic and inorganic fertilizers, pepper yield.

Efficiency of NEB-33 fortified fertilizers on growth and yield of pepper ( Capsicum fruitscen )

A two year field study was conducted in Institute of Agriculture Reasearch and Training experimental field at Ibadan, Nigeria to evaluate the effects of NEB-33 fertilizer additive on the growth and yield of chilli pepper (Capsium fruitscen). Treatments consisted of control, NPK, poultry manure (PM), organomineral fertilizer (OM), cow dung (CD) and their combinations with NEB-33. The organic fertilizers were applied at the rate of 5 t ha-1, while NPK 15:15:15 was applied at the rate of 90 kg N ha-1 and NEB-33 was applied at the rate of 5.6 kg ha-1. Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) was used for the experiment and was replicated three times. Results show that treatments significantly (P>0.05) improved growth and yield of chilli pepper. Number of leaves, plant height, leaf area, stem girth, number of branches, number of fruits, and fruit yield ranged from 129 - 170, 30.4 – 44.2 cm, 20.7 – 35 cm2, 2.0 - 2.7 cm2, 12 – 17, 392 – 682 and 1.01 – 3.08 t ha-1 respectively. Percentage increase in number of leaves, plant height, leaf area ranged from 5.4 – 70%, 17.8 – 48.7% and 3 – 73.4%, respectively, in treated plant over control. In terms of total number of fruit yield, percentage increases were 15, 7 , 13 and 27% respectively in NPK + NEB, CD + NEB, PM + NEB and OM + NEB whereas in case of fruit yield, percentage increases were 17, 9, 8 and 12%, respectively, for NPK + NEB, CD + NEB, PM + NEB and OM + NEB over their sole application.

Quality improvement implementation in the nursing home.

To examine quality improvement (QI) implementation in nursing homes, its association with organizational culture, and its effects on pressure ulcer care. Primary data were collected from staff at 35 nursing homes maintained by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) on measures related to QI implementation and organizational culture. These data were combined with information obtained from abstractions of medical records and analyses of an existing database. A cross-sectional analysis of the association among the different measures was performed. Completed surveys containing information on QI implementation, organizational culture, employee satisfaction, and perceived adoption of guidelines were obtained from 1,065 nursing home staff. Adherence to best practices related to pressure ulcer prevention was abstracted from medical records. Risk-adjusted rates of pressure ulcer development were calculated from an administrative database. Nursing homes differed significantly (p<.001) in their extent of QI implementation with scores on this 1 to 5 scale ranging from 2.98 to 4.08. Quality improvement implementation was greater in those nursing homes with an organizational culture that emphasizes innovation and teamwork. Employees of nursing homes with a greater degree of QI implementation were more satisfied with their jobs (a 1-point increase in QI score was associated with a 0.83 increase on the 5-point satisfaction scale, p<.001) and were more likely to report adoption of pressure ulcer clinical guidelines (a 1-point increase in QI score was associated with a 28 percent increase in number of staff reporting adoption, p<.001). No significant association was found, though, between QI implementation and either adherence to guideline recommendations as abstracted from records or the rate of pressure ulcer development. Quality improvement implementation is most likely to be successful in those VA nursing homes with an underlying culture that promotes innovation. While QI implementation may result in staff who are more satisfied with their jobs and who believe they are providing better care, associations with improved care are uncertain.

Early Elementary Teachers' Receptivity to Tobacco Prevention in One Rural U.S. State

Although tobacco prevention programs in public schools may be effective, most focus on high school or middle school students. To assess teacher receptivity at an earlier level, 2,290 early elementary (K-3) teachers in one rural state attended a training workshop that included grade-specific tobacco prevention materials. Four weeks later, 986 completed a follow-up questionnaire. Even on the initial questionnaire, an overwhelming majority thought that tobacco prevention should start in early elementary school, and that they could make a difference in reducing youth tobacco use. Following training, there was a 25 percent increase in number of teachers who had taught tobacco prevention at least once. Early elementary teachers were receptive to grade-specific tobacco prevention efforts that were integrated into their existing curriculum.

215 Influence of Promalin Spray and Drench on Fern Numbers of Asparagus

Asparagus (Asparagus officinalis)plants were sprayed and drenched with different concentrations of Promalin (0, 250, and 500 ppm) The varieties for the spraying experiment were `Mary Washington', `Emeral', `UC-157-F1', and `UC157F2'. Six replications for each treatment were used in a randomized complete-block design. The drenching experiment used two varieties (Mary Washington and UC-157-F2) with six replications of each treatment in a randomized complete-block design. Pots were numbered and labeled for each experimental unit. Plants (ferns) were counted and recorded in order to obtain the initial number of ferns before or after the spraying or drenching. In the spraying experiment, the plants were sprayed to run-off using a hand sprayer whereas; in the drenching experiment, 1000 mL or 1 L of the solution was used to drench each plant. The response to the chemical was measured in two ways: weekly stimulation of emergence of new-shoots and percent increase in final number of shoots over the initial number. In the spraying treatments differences were not found among the treatments used. In the drenching experiment with `Mary Washington' variety, a lower initial number of ferns at 250 ppm as compared to the 0 ppm of Promalin (8.82 to13.00) was observed. Differences for `Mary Washington' variety was not found for cumulative number of ferns on weeks 1, 2, and 3. However, the percent increase in number of ferns was higher for the 250 ppm as compared to the 0 ppm (174.55% to 78.14%). `UC-157-F2' showed no difference among the different concentrations. This indicates a difference in varietal response.

Angiogenesis. Angiogenic therapy using fibroblast growth factors and vascular endothelial growth factors for ischemic vascular lesions.

Angiogenic therapy using fibroblast growth factor (FGF) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is being developed as a novel therapeutic strategy to obtain restoration of blood flow around the ischemia in cases of ischemic cardiovascular disease. In addition, arterial gene therapy through gene transfer by VEGF genes has now reached the stage of clinical application. Through in vivo animal experiments to determine the angiogenic effects of FGF and VEGF, we hope to obtain clues concerning the clinical applications of these methods. Methods-1: Twenty-three adult dogs were divided into 3 groups as follows: Group A-1: 20 micrograms of bFGF was administered intravenously simultaneously with heparin three times per week in 4 dogs. Group A-2: 20 micrograms of bFGF was administered intravenously three times a week without heparin in 4 dogs. Group B: 20 micrograms of bFGF was administered intramuscularly three times per week in 5 dogs. Group C: Sham operation control group consisting of 10 dogs. Local ischemia was created in the hind limbs of animals in groups A-1, A-2 and B through ligation of the femoral artery. Selective femoral arteriography was performed immediately after ligation at 1 week and 2 weeks postoperatively. Biopsy was also performed either at 1 week or 2 weeks after ligation. Results-1: (1) The percent increase in number of collateral vessels of the ischemic zone, as recognized on arteriography, was greater in the bFGF groups compared to group C. (2) The increase in collateral vessels peaked at 1 week. (3) No difference in angiogenic effect was observed in relation to the method of administration. (4) The combined administration of heparin had no angiogenic effect. (5) The hemoglobin content of the biopsy specimens was significantly greater in the 3 groups receiving bFGF compared to group C. Methods-2: The same study was performed using VEGF as detailed in Method-1. Results-2: As in the first experiment, a significant increase in collateral vessels was seen in the VEGF group compared to the control group. Both exogenous bFGF and VEGF significantly promote collateral vessel development and appear to be effective novel therapeutic agents for the treatment of ischemic disease.

Academic Excellence in an Early U. S. High School

This paper explores orientation toward academic excellence in high schools in United States during 19th century. Through a study of first 80 years of Central High School in Philadephia, I find several factors which encouraged academic excellence: a meritocratic ideology, voluntary enrollment, competitive selection of students and faculty, and structure of public education at time. In comparison, modern public high schools have only a limited commitment to merit, compulsory attendance, automatic acceptance of all students, less competitive selection of teachers, and a different structure of public education. In 1983 a series of high-level panels charged that education in United States had lost sight of its once dominant objective, pursuit of academic excellence. The gloomiest assessment came from national Commission on Excellence in Education (1983:5) which warned, the educational foundations of our society are presently being eroded by a rising tide of mediocrity that threatens our very future as a nation and a people. Blame for this decline in excellence has been placed at all levels of educational system: from elementary schools, which are accused of failing to ground students sufficiently in basic skills, to colleges, which are charged with failing to provide necessary degree of advanced training. But it is public high school which has received greatest critical attention, and for good reason. The cumulative academic deficits of lower levels of education become more visible in high school; and since latter is highest level of schooling at which attendance is nearly universal, these deficits affect a broader spectrum of population than do failings of colleges. Perhaps most frequently cited evidence of decline in achievement at U.S. high schools is 40 to 50 point drop in average scores on College Board's Scholastic Aptitude Test since early 1960s (Commission on Excellence, 1983:8). However, this is not most compelling proof that could be offered, since this decline in scores was accompanied by a nearly 200 percent increase in number of students enrolled in college during same period (U.S. Bureau of Census, 1982:Table 259). Thus, at least part of drop in test scores may be result of an expansion of educational opportunity rather than a reduction in student achievement. This same caveat applies to another favorite example of growing mediocrity in U.S. high schools. The Commission on Excellence (1983:8) noted that U.S. students scored low on achievement tests compared with students from other industrialized countries; but as Husen (1983) has pointed out, this difference is result of differences in selectivity of various systems of secondary schooling. In United States nearly everyone attends high school and threequarters of students graduate, while in European countries high school is limited to a small number of better students. If much of evidence about low levels of achievement among U.S. high school students is unconvincing, evidence about failure of U.S. high schools to promote academic achievement is stronger. As an institution, modern high school is less academic in orientation and less rigorously academic in application than it once was. The growth of electives in high school curriculum has permitted students to avoid more difficult academic courses, with result that only 31 percent of high school graduates took intermediate algebra, 13 percent took

The Effect of Medroxyprogesterone on Cells of the Pituitary Pars Distalis

The action of medroxyprogesterone (MAP) on the pituitary par distalis was studied in young female rats receiving doses twice daily ranging from 0.5-1.5 mg/100 g body weight (b.w.) for 14-28 days. Pituitary glands were stained with aledhyde fuchsin and Masson and differential cell counts were done. Immunochemical staining of sections taken from various regions of the gland were made with peroxidase-labeled antibody procedure used with rabbit antisera for rat prolactin human growth hormone porcine corticotropin and human chorionic gonadotropin. Due to questionable specificity of anti-HCG for LH these cells were called gonadotropic cells. MAP had no effect on weight of the body or thyroid glands but reduced the weight of the hypophysis adrenals ovaries and uterus. Treatment of 4 weeks or greater caused marked degranulation and reduction in size of prolactin cells; 0.5 mg/100 g b. w. was as effective as 1.5 mg/100 g b. w. Growth hormone cells were enlarged to a greater extent at the higher dose. Percentage increase of number of growth hormone cells (1.5 mg dose) at 4 weeks compared to controls was significant (p less than 0.01). Effect on gonadotropic cells was less clear: their numbers were reduced in the central and medial areas of the lateral lobes but many were enlarged and more intensly stained than controls. Corticotropic cells were not affected significantly. Conflicting results with earlier studies suggest differences in cells identified as prolactin cells and in the amount of progestational activity exerted by the compounds used. A brief comparison is made to norethynodrel.